At
the Forty-third session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 43),
participants met for an event where “Making
a Difference in Food Security and Nutrition” was the subject of discussion.
The
event was facilitated by Mark Davis, FAO Deputy Director of the Climate and
Environment Division. It was a fairly informal panel with representatives from
each of the Rome Based Agencies, and a representative from the World Farmers
Organisation. The panel included: Alexandre Meybeck, Senior Policy Officer on
Agriculture at FAO; Roshan Cooke, Regional Environment and Climate Change specialist at IFAD
; Tania Osejo, Climate Adaptation Specialist at WFP; and Mr Dyborn Chibonga,
Chief Executive Officer at the National Smallholder Farmers Association on
Malawi. During the side event,
panellists focused on experiences from local climate adaptation efforts to
combat hunger and malnutrition.
Mark
Davis opened by saying ''With a changing climate, agriculture needs to change
way it operates too.''
In
light of the Paris Agreement, rural communities and farmers have been urged to take the lead as efficient agents of change to
enhance adaptation capabilities to the negative impacts of climate change to
food security and nutrition.
The
event also reviewed elements in various country–led
climate adaptation plans, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
(INDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
Ten
INDCs actually name IFAD specifically as contributing towards their national
adaptation priorities in the agriculture sector. “We need to move towards
diversification for farmers - away from monoculture'', said Roshan Cooke,
adding,'' Good results are already coming in from our adaptation work with
smallholders."
Alexandre
gave the FAO view by saying ''We need a multi stakeholder approach to working
with countries on their INDC targets and
priorities that leverages each agency’s comparative advantages..''
Tania
admitted that reaching the Sustainable Development Goals would put the
Rome-based Agencies out of business. Achieving zero hunger would mean WFP had done its job.
Unfortunately we are not there yet. So in the meantime, 'we are trying to facilitate
adaptation planning processes whilst linking communities to market and social
infrastructure.''